FEMA held a series of conference calls last week providing information and answering questions about the upcoming release of Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) information. If you were not able to participate, we invite you to a briefing tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 11:00 a.m. This briefing is identical to those provided last week.

Given the urgency and level of reconstruction anticipated along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey, FEMA’s Mitigation team is working with state and local counterparts to provide the best available data for reconstruction purposes in the form of Advisory Base Flood Elevations for those communities most affected.

The information depicts a more current picture of flood risk to communities. By delivering revised flood risk information, FEMA can empower communities and property owners to make more informed decisions about rebuilding and recovery that will increase resiliency to future disasters and provide potential cost savings on flood insurance premiums.

FEMA will be working closely with state and community officials to release this improved flood hazard data within the coming weeks for 10 counties in New Jersey to help them make informed decisions about rebuilding their homes and businesses. Use of this information will be required for certain FEMA funded recovery and mitigation activities after release and is highly encouraged for use in other rebuilding efforts.

Ahead of this data becoming available, FEMA has been holding briefings for local officials via conference call. We invite you to participate in tomorrow’s call to learn more about how these ABFEs will affect your community’s long term recovery. The briefing deck to be covered during the session is attached for your reference.